Heirot

Tenele nodded to him, knowing she didn't want to go the long way with hardly any clothing. Tenele reached out slowly, covering herself with one arm. "Short way... please."

Vlad looked at her outstretched hand longingly. He reached out and clasped her fingers in his securely. A second later, they were in the infirmary....with quite a few more people around than earlier. Apparently the queen's stabilization left more doctors available to return to their work. Vlad drew Tenele close, pinning her against his bloody shirt. He psychically ripped the lab coat from one of the doctors and drew it to them. The man, down to his undershirt, spun toward them in rage. "Dracul! You damned psychopath," he snarled. "Everything's a game to you. For god's sake, our queen is ill-" he cut off as he spotted Tenele balled up in his arms under the coat. "Bring her here," he ordered, rushing toward a nearby cot.

Vlad lifted Tenele, and it was impossible to do it without hurting her. He set her on the cot and let the doctor get close to her. The physician didn't seem pleased by his presence. "This is my job. You should do yours. You're in charge of the Queen's dirty work, and we have guests to torture," he said.

If there hadn't been a flicker of jealousy in the corner of his eyes denoting just how desperately angry the man was, Vlad might have killed him right there. Instead, he went dead-still and met the doctor's gaze. "I'll send our guests your regards," he said darkly. "Don't let Lady Tenele leave this room until I return, and keep a lid on the small talk," he ordered. "Except...can you think of what did this to her?"

The doctor focused on Tenele. "She wasn't injured....before," he said meaningfully. "The only other explanations would be extreme trauma or poisoning."

"What do you mean by trauma?" he demanded.

The doctor dropped a step back, remembering who he was talking to. "In a case like this, the forgotten memories are usually...things the patient doesn't want to remember."

Tenele listened to their conversation while she hugged a pillow to her chest, leaving her back exposed for the doctor to take a look at. She felt so tired with all the mental stress and running back and forth, but she wanted desperately to know why she didn't remember anything.

"The first thing I remember is grass and mud, and then you," Tenele told him. "What was I doing before that? Were you with me? Did you see anything?"

Vlad glanced back at her, focusing on her voice to avoid thinking about the possibility that Tenele needed to forget him. "The queen of this kingdom....your adopted mother, was poisoned. You and I went to search for herbs to heal her. We split up, and then you called for me. When I reached you, you'd...forgotten." Me. You forgot ME.

There was one thing he'd seen, though it hardly seemed important. "And some kind of cat or rabbit or something was out there."

"Well, which was it, Lord Dracul. The local wildlife is terribly important," the doctor said sarcastically.

"Neither," Vlad muttered. "New one for me. Some kind of a tuft on its tail. Huge beady eyes."

"Sounds adorable. Moving on," the doctor sighed.

Tenele's brow furrowed with frustration. "That's it?" But, there was so much information in that. Her adopted mother was the Queen. Was that why the man called her important? Did that mean she was a princess? Tenele's eyes welled. Too much. This was too much. Why couldn't she remember any of this?

Tenele swallowed the rocks in her throat and lifted her gaze to them. "I... I, ugh, have a husband? Someone should probably tell him..." Tenele looked sick. She couldn't remember who he was. She couldn't feel anything for a man she didn't remember. But, maybe knowing who he was would bring a little comfort to her?

Tenele pulled the coat across her chest for modesty's sake and rolled onto her back with a soft cry. A little less tolerant of pain than the normal Tenele.

Vlad glanced at his hand, at the scarred skin where the proof of his marriage was gone. He met the doctor's eyes, and the look said it all.

He could accept that she didn't remember him, but he couldn't take seeing her horrified of her relationship to him. Even if it was only a few hours, he would put it off. "Your husband will be back soon," he said quietly, and excused himself from the room.

Tenele frowned at the vampire as he left. But, the doctor seemed even more less willing to offer her any information on that subject. Tenele rolled over onto her stomach as instructed and let the nurses work their magic on her mangled skin.

She stared at the candle on the bedside table, watching the fire flicker and struggling so hard to remember. But, everything before that moment seemed pulled from her mind, or encased in an inky blackness. The only thing that wasn't was the smiling face of her daughter. In every memory she had of the girl, when they were with someone else, that person was just a set of disembodied arms.

The vampire had promised he would take her to her daughter, and for the moment she had to trust him. Even if she wasn't entirely sure of him yet.

Vlad spent several hours in the dungeons. He took his time interrogating the ambassador and every man and servant who had arrived with him. He was not gentle. It was their fault Tenele had forgotten him, and they had dared to attempt on Sinead's life. When he emerged from the cells, he was a gruesome sight and his expression was far more intimidating than his appearance. He didn't let any of them die; he was in perfect control, but it had been tempting more than once. He was beginning to piece together the story of how it had all been done. A few more days would do the trick and crack the harder nuts in the group. Sinead's manservant, on the other hand, was only guilty of incompetence and knew nothing. Vlad left him bleeding to death on the dungeon floor without a second thought. In this particular case, the guards supervising gave no complaint.

After a short visit with Talon to be sure Tenara was okay and taking her nap, Vlad made his way back to their rooms, cleaned off, and changed into a black silk tunic and dark leather pants. He looked good in them, and it wasn't entirely by accident. If he had to make impressions from scratch, he wanted them to be as good as possible. He returned to her room in the ward and knocked on the door, about three hours after he'd left her.

Tenele was resting quietly, made easier by the numbing salve placed on her back. She was dressed in a hospital gown again with the covers pulled up to her chest. Her silver hair was braided off to the side and draped over her shoulder.

She blinked her eyes open at the sound of knocking and they fixated on him as he entered. Tenele swallowed the nervous feeling his presence gave her and tried not to stare too closely at how his pants fit.

Get a grip. You're a married woman, she thought darkly. Tenele tried to push up, but it seemed her joints were still too weak to be much use. "From all the scars on this body, it seems I tend to find trouble regularly," she muttered to herself, settling back against the pillows. "I had a thought, eh, that maybe I was poisoned or cursed? I was talking with the doctor about what happened with... my mother... If the people who poisoned her thought I'd be the successor, maybe they did something to make me forget who I am? If so, maybe there is a cure?"

Vlad smirked at the thought of Tenele as a successor.

No, wait, actually, that wouldn't be a horrible idea...

"Although Sinead adopted you, you're not considered her heir," Vlad said, trying not to laugh at her. "You're one of many young women she rescued when they were in tough situations. You were raised with the skills of a warrior and are held in the highest esteem in her court, along with the other Queen's maidens. Of them all, you are the most famous." Or infamous, thanks to me, he thought on the side.

"And though it's always possible, I don't believe anyone did this to you on purpose. But I will find out how it happened, and make sure it is fixed." His eyes flicked to the bandage that was just barely showing near the neckline of her gown. "Very flattering dress, Maiden Girl," he smirked.

Tenele smirked. "Oh, this old thing," she sighed, thumbing the collar of the gown. She tilted her head then, as if she'd just caught what he'd said. Maiden Girl? That seemed so endearing... Like a pet name or a nickname.

"How well do we know eachother?" she asked him softly.

Vlad smirked. "What do you want the answer to be?" he teased.

Tenele frowned. "That's a curious question," she told him. "I don't know. I don't know you well enough to answer that. I mean.... I don't remember if I know you well enough for that." She shifted in the bed uncomfortably, deciding to change the subject. "You said you could take me to my daughter, can you still do that?"

Vlad looked at her like he was watching a 50/50 coin toss in the air. No...that reaction wasn't good enough. It was indifferent, maybe a little baffled or annoyed. No interest. He couldn't tell her when she felt that way about him. How would she feel about being married to a vampire? She might not even believe him. "I'll take you to her. Perhaps...you should meet Queeny first?" Maybe that would jog her memory, and Tenara wouldn't have to see her like this.

Tenele nodded. "Is she well enough? I don't want to burden her with something if she is still feeling weak." Tenele pushed the covers off her legs slowly. She hurried to pull down the gown that had worked its way up to her hips in an effort to maintain some modesty, though the vampire had already seen his share of her body for the day. She scooted to the edge of the bed and stared at the floor for a moment. Tenele mentally crossed her fingers. "Have you ever been on the rack?" Tenele asked him curiously. "I feel ten feet taller... and a bit like jelly." She took a breath and stood up. She used the bed as a crutch, but manage to stay on her feet. "Not, too bad."